Chapter 63 - Poor Rabbits

A thick chill fog covered the Thundercloud Forest and the surrounding hills when the sun finally crept above the horizon in the morning. Throughout the night, Feng Xi had curled close to Ao Wen, an arm wrapped around her as they both shared a single blanket near the campfire. At first, Feng Xi woke frequently, rarely sleeping longer than the amount of time it takes a stick of incense to burn before she'd jolt alert to reassure herself that Ao Wen was still fine. Eventually, as exhaustion overtook her and anxiety fully fled, she managed to sleep through the night. 

When Ao Wen and Feng Xi woke, the campfire had already been refreshed and a dirty but content-looking Tang Jin could be seen adjusting several skewers of fresh meat over the fire. "Good morning," the young man said looking slightly embarrassed to see the two women so intimately affectionate first thing in the morning. "I hope you don't mind but I was restless when I woke up this morning so I tried my hand at hunting," he said, gesturing lamely towards the roasting meat. "I mangled the rabbit pretty badly trying to hunt something with a sword, but on the plus side, it was half-butchered. The seasoning is pretty bland, Father would scold me for sure, but…" Tang Jin trailed off, face red to the tips of his ears. 

There was more to the story that he didn't know how to explain. He'd managed the first rabbit by unleashing a wave of sword energy from Blinding Light but after that, it felt too distant, too impersonal, too far removed. The second one he'd pounced on at close range, piercing it through with his sword. The third one though, he'd caught and torn in two with his bare hands. He still shuddered at the memory. After that, he hadn't trusted himself to hunt for more and returned immediately to camp. 

"It's fine," Feng Xi said, feeling the young man's unsettled emotions like an out-of-tune zither. "I was too tired to help, Wen is still hurt, you already did something lovely for us by cooking. No need to humble yourself for not being a mighty warrior, peerless hunter, and divine chef all at once," she finished with a gentle smile that contained pure gratitude and appreciation for someone helping in a moment when she and Ao Wen were so vulnerable. 

Tang Jin's heart skipped a beat at the radiant smile, reminded suddenly just why he and so many young men had chased after Feng Xi as though she was the radiant sun itself. It didn't help matters that she'd wrapped herself around the amazingly strong and capable Ao Wen. Seeing Ao Wen go from saber-wielding champion to injured dove that needed to be held and comforted had done critical damage to Tang Jin's youthful heart. 

Truthfully, half the reason he'd gone hunting this morning was to cool his blood that kept calling him to join the young fairies. Neither of them saw him as a suitor and both of them were coming to mean so much to him that he dared not act on any of the impulses his mind tormented him with. The surrounding rabbit population would just have to suffer the consequences of his overstimulated body. 

"I promise," Ao Wen said as she shifted gingerly. "Once we get home and I do something about my arm, I'm going to cook for both of you. I might not be as good at the delicate and refined things that Senior Brother Huang used to make," she said with a smile, "but I promise some of the best home cooking you've ever had." Glancing at Tang Jin she continued with a teasing smile. "Don't worry about portions either, if I can cook for a True Dragon, I can cook for a hungry mountain lion!"

"When did you ever cook for a True Dragon?" Tang Jin teased. "I know Sister Wen is amazing but you don't have to brag that much!" 

"Um…" Ao Wen hesitated for a moment. A few days ago, she wouldn't have considered explaining anything to Tang Jin. Now though, he'd nearly died to fight beside her and Feng Xi. If she continued to hold him at a distance, it didn't respect the faith he'd placed in her. "About that," she finally said. "Look, no one else knows besides Xi okay? You have to promise not to tell anyone," she insisted. She still didn't know how to tell her own parents. She didn't want them finding out and thinking that she wasn't really their daughter. That she somehow wasn't Ao Wen. She couldn't bear the thought of them looking at her that way! 

"You know I won't say anything you don't want me to," Tang Jin promised easily. "I realize that… I wasn't a good person when I was with Mo Yan and the others. I said a lot of things I'm really not proud of. But, Sister Wen is my benefactor. Without you, I wouldn't have survived, much less become so powerful. So say what you want and I'll never repeat a word."

Seeing his solemn promise, Ao Wen nodded while she figured out how she wanted to explain this. "Sometimes," she said slowly, "I can remember bits and pieces of lives I lived in the past. Previous incarnations. I don't remember everything, not even close to everything," she emphasized. "I don't have a lot of control of it, but that's how I learned my saber art," she said. "For me, it was like… I lived it. I lived three months in the desert learning the Jun family's Obsidian Night Scorpion Saber Art. That's why I was asleep for nine days after awakening. For me, it was three months of living or remembering or whatever, as Jun Biyu. I did it again a few days ago to learn alchemy because I didn't know how else to…"

"To save me," Tang Jin said softly. 

"Wen doesn't want to put any pressure on you," Feng Xi said gently. "But when she does this, it's hard on her and she can't do it often," she didn't explain the details of that but she wanted him to understand a little. She wouldn't explain Ao Wen's fears about losing herself in the memories or the clear trauma that Ao Wen accumulated in this recent experience but she didn't want Tang Jin to have the wrong idea about it either. 

"Anyway," Ao Wen said, giving Feng Xi a gentle squeeze. "I just spent a few years learning Alchemy from a True Dragon Medical Saintess," she said, as though she'd gone to the market to purchase tofu. "My Senior Brother Huang and Senior Sister Qi were also her direct disciples and we used to share cooking duties when we were away from the sect. So, I promise, I really did cook for a dragon!"

Tang Jin sat there for a moment processing what he had just heard. "Can I ask a question?" Tang Jin finally said, looking directly at Ao Wen with pleading earnestness in his eyes. 

"Sure," Ao Wen said with a light smile. 

"Do dragons eat their meat raw, or do they cook it first? And if they cook it, do they use their own dragon flames?" Tang Jin asked with an innocent expression. 

"Brat!" Ao Wen said, looking for a pebble to throw at him. Truthfully though it was about the best reply she could have asked for. "I just told you I cooked for her didn't I?"

The group descended into laughter, eating Tang Jin's grilled rabbit with the hearty appetites of young adults who hadn't yet advanced far enough on their cultivation journey to lose the need for food. Even if it was under-seasoned and burnt in a few places, it felt like one of the best meals they'd ever eaten.